Senior Project Engineer / Technical Lead - Land Development

Welcome to Verdantas, where innovation meets sustainability, and your career finds purpose!

At Verdantas, we’re redefining environmental consulting and sustainable engineering through our use of cutting-edge modeling and digital technology and our genuine commitment to people. Our work spans high-growth sectors like water resources, resilient land use, energy transformation, and civil infrastructure.

Our commitment to excellence, across more than 90 offices, is championed by a team of over 2,000 experts, scientists, engineers, geologists, and technical specialists, embedded in a people-focused culture, prioritizing the well-being of our employees, clients, and the communities we serve. We partner with clients to deliver smart, data-driven solutions to complex environmental and infrastructure challenges. We don’t just solve problems; we help shape a more sustainable future.

Join a people-first culture that values your well-being, empowers your growth, and amplifies your impact. At Verdantas, your career goes beyond the expected, and your work helps build a better world.

Ready to shape the future of resilient communities?

We are seeking a Senior Project Engineer / Technical Lead - Land Development to join our multidisciplinary team in Lehigh Valley, PA, Wilkes-Barre, PA or Philadelphia, PA.

This role is designed for an experienced civil engineer who can serve as the technical lead for land development projects throughout Pennsylvania. The successful candidate will be capable of taking a project from initial due diligence and conceptual planning through detailed design, permitting, agency approvals, and construction.

This position is focused primarily on technical leadership rather than traditional project management. The Technical Lead will establish design and permitting strategies, direct engineering and design staff, review calculations and construction documents, coordinate multidisciplinary technical work, and be responsible for the overall technical quality of project deliverables.

Verdantas is a nationally recognized leader in environmental, engineering, and infrastructure consulting. Named the #1 Firm to Work For by Zweig Group, we are committed to delivering innovative solutions that improve communities while fostering a culture of collaboration, growth, and work-life balance.

What You'll Do

• Serve as the technical lead for complex land development and site/civil projects throughout Pennsylvania, including electric transmission and distribution line and substation and renewables projects

• Lead projects technically from site due diligence and feasibility through conceptual design, municipal approvals, permitting, final engineering, and construction support

• Establish the overall site development, grading, stormwater, utility, erosion and sediment control, and permitting strategy for assigned projects.

• Lead preparation and technical review of subdivision and land development plans, site plans, grading plans, utility plans, roadway and access plans, stormwater management plans, erosion and sediment control plans, and construction documents

• Perform and review engineering calculations for stormwater management, hydrology and hydraulics, drainage and conveyance systems, detention and infiltration facilities, site grading, earthwork, utility infrastructure, and erosion and sediment control measures

• Provide technical leadership through the Pennsylvania municipal subdivision and land development approval process, including interpretation of municipal ordinances, stormwater requirements, zoning constraints, and engineering review comments

• Lead the technical preparation and coordination of Pennsylvania environmental and infrastructure permits, including PADEP Chapter 102/NPDES, Chapter 105, county conservation district approvals, PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permits, and applicable municipal approvals

• Review zoning and subdivision and land development ordinances, stormwater ordinances, mapping, survey information, environmental constraints, utility availability, and other information to evaluate site feasibility and development constraints

• Develop technically sound solutions to complex site issues involving grading, drainage, stormwater management, steep slopes, site access, utilities, environmental constraints, and constructability

• Direct the work of civil engineers, designers, and CAD staff and provide clear technical direction for plan preparation and design development

• Coordinate closely with survey, geotechnical, environmental, ecological, traffic, structural, architectural, and construction teams to integrate multidisciplinary requirements into the site design

• Lead technical coordination with municipal engineers, planning departments, county planning agencies, conservation districts, PADEP, PennDOT, municipal authorities, and other reviewing agencies

• Prepare and lead responses to technical review comments and work directly with regulatory reviewers to advance projects toward approval

• Perform technical QA/QC reviews of calculations, plans, reports, specifications, and permit applications prior to submission

• Provide engineering support during bidding and construction, including responses to RFIs, review of submittals, design clarifications, field evaluations, and preparation of design revisions

• Mentor engineers and designers in site design, Civil 3D workflows, stormwater management, permitting, technical problem-solving, and preparation of construction documents

• Support scope development, technical approach development, level-of-effort estimating, and proposal preparation for new projects

• Serve as a technical resource to project managers and client managers during project pursuits and client meetings

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from an ABET-accredited program

• Professional Engineer license in Pennsylvania required, or active PE licensure in another state with the ability to obtain Pennsylvania licensure through comity shortly after hire

• 8+ years of progressive civil/site engineering experience, with significant experience delivering land development projects in Pennsylvania

• Demonstrated ability to independently lead the technical delivery of a land development project from due diligence through permitting, final design, and construction

• Strong technical experience with:

• Site layout and land development planning

• Grading and earthwork

• Stormwater management

• Hydrologic and hydraulic analysis

• Drainage and conveyance design

• Erosion and sediment control

• Roadway, access, and parking design

• Utility coordination

• Construction documentation

• Strong working knowledge of Pennsylvania municipal subdivision and land development requirements and approval processes

• Demonstrated experience with PADEP Chapter 102/NPDES permitting, E&S requirements, and Pennsylvania stormwater management requirements

• Working knowledge of PADEP Chapter 105 permitting, county conservation district coordination, and PennDOT Highway Occupancy Permitting

• Demonstrated ability to review municipal ordinances and agency requirements and translate those requirements into a practical design and permitting strategy

• Experience preparing and reviewing engineering calculations, technical reports, plans, specifications, permit applications, and agency comment responses

• Advanced working knowledge of AutoCAD Civil 3D and the ability to effectively direct and review work performed by Civil 3D designers and engineers

• Experience with commonly used hydrologic and hydraulic modeling tools for Pennsylvania land development projects

• Strong understanding of constructability and the ability to identify potential design conflicts and construction issues before plans are issued

• Demonstrated ability to mentor junior engineers and designers and provide technical direction to multidisciplinary project teams

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly when communicating technical issues with clients, municipal engineers, regulators, contractors, and nontechnical stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of Pennsylvania land development experience

• Experience serving as engineer of record or technical lead on complex land development projects

• Experience presenting projects before planning commissions, municipal boards, authorities, and regulatory agencies

• Experience with complex stormwater management and infiltration design

• Experience with redevelopment, brownfield, industrial, commercial, or other technically challenging sites

• Experience providing construction-phase engineering support

• Demonstrated ability to train and develop less-experienced civil engineering staff

Salary Range:

The starting salary for this position is $110,000. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, technical capabilities, Pennsylvania PE licensure, and demonstrated ability to independently lead complex land development projects

Benefits:

• Flexible Work Environment
• Paid Parental Leave
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Paid Time Off + Holidays

Verdantas strives to develop new ways to increase diversity awareness within our organization. We recruit and reward our employees based on capability and performance - regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lifestyle, age, educational background, national origin, religion, or physical ability. For us, it is imperative to build balanced teams from all walks of life and we believe that a diverse workforce is a stronger workforce.

Verdantas is an EOE race/color/religion/sex/sexualorientation/gender identity/national origin/disability/vet